“Darr and J.R. knew I was in love with you. I’ve known for a while, but it took seeing you packing your suitcase to make me say the words out loud.”
“I don’t mind.” Charlene cupped his face in her palms. “As long as you said it.” Her words eased the tension from his face.
He bent his head and brushed his mouth over hers. “Now it’s your turn.”
Charlene slipped her arms around his neck and went up on tiptoe. “I love you too,” she murmured, her lips barely touching his before he leaned back, preventing her from reaching him. Her mouth skimmed his chin.
He bent his head and nuzzled her neck. “That’s the best news I heard all day.”
“Mmm.” Distracted by the movement of his warm mouth against her skin, she was having difficulty following their conversation. She tilted her chin as he nudged aside her shirt. Dazed, she realized she hadn’t even felt him unbutton the blue cotton.
He smiled, his mouth branding an amused curve on her skin, and then he lifted his head to look down at her.
“Just remember when we talk about this later—you agreed.”
He caught the edges of her shirt. Buttons popped as he ripped it open and stripped it off her shoulders. He shoved the suitcase off the bed and it hit the floor. Charlene barely noticed that the contents spilled out in a fan of color against the pale-green carpet.
His eyes flared with heat as he traced the curve of her breasts in the lacy white bra before he forced his gaze downward and began unsnapping her jeans. His head was bent, his black hair inches from her face, his eyelashes dark fans against his tanned skin as he slid the zipper downward.
“Nick,” Charlene breathed.
He glanced up, his fingers going still on her waistband.
“You’re wearing more clothes than I am.”
He smiled slowly, closing the distance between them to slick his tongue over her bottom lip. “So take them off,” he murmured.
She fumbled with the shirt buttons, breathing rapidly while her heartbeat pounded faster. She reached the button at his waistband and he let go of her jeans to grab his shirt and pull it free.
She reached behind her and unhooked her bra, shrugging her shoulders to let it fall free.
Nick reached for her, pulling her against him, skin-to-skin, and kissed her.
“I feel as if the world is still spinning,” Charlene confided an hour later as they sat on her bed, a tray of food between them.
“Why is that?” Nick held out a bite of scone, dripping with butter and jam.
“Mmm.” Charlene opened her mouth, chewed and swallowed. “These are heavenly. What did you say the name of the bakery is?”
“Mary Mac’s. Hold still.” Nick leaned over and licked the corner of her mouth. She tasted raspberry jam when he kissed her.
“Can we have these scones every Sunday?” she asked, caught by the intimacy of the moment.
“Absolutely.” Nick grinned at her. “Marry me, babe, and I’ll open an account there. You can have scones every day of the week if you want.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to bribe me. I already said I’d marry you—but the scones are definitely an added inducement,” she added.
“Good to know what works,” he said. “In case I need to bribe you in the future.”
“You won’t need bribes,” she said softly. “Just ask.”
His eyes heated. “You may regret that. I’ve built up a lot of hunger over the last few weeks.”
Charlene’s heart skipped, heat moving through her veins. “We’ve just spent hours in this bed. Aren’t you exhausted?”
“Babe, I’m just catching my breath.” He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and she laughed out loud. He grinned, clearly pleased he’d amused her. “I want to buy you something. What do you want for a wedding present? Diamonds? Rubies?”
“What?” Startled, Charlene searched his face and realized he was serious. “You don’t have to buy me expensive things.” She wanted to make it clear to Nick that his wealth wasn’t why she loved him. But he clearly felt strongly about giving her a gift and she didn’t want to disappoint him. She beamed, certain she had the perfect idea.
“There is something I’d love to have,” she told him.
“You’ve got it,” he said instantly. “What is it?”
“I would absolutely love it if we could set up a college fund for the triplets,” she said earnestly.
He stared at her. “You want me to give the girls money for college?” he said slowly, eyeing her.
“Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “Please,” she added.
A slow smile curved his mouth. “You’re something else, darlin’.” He pressed a passionate kiss against her lips. “Any suggestions as to how big the fund should be?”
“No, you’re the financial expert.” She was still reeling from that kiss. “Oh, wait.” She sat bolt upright, excited. “What if we ask the wedding guests to contribute to the girls’ college fund in lieu of gifts for us?” She waved her hand at the comfortable, expensive furnishings in his big bedroom. “You have a whole houseful of stuff. What could we possibly need that you don’t already have?”
He smiled, his expression tender. “There’s nothing I need that I don’t already have—now that I have you.” He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and rolling with her on the big bed until she was beneath him. “I think it’s a great idea. Let’s do it. We’ll tell Lana and John this week.”
“Good,” she managed to say.
She felt surrounded by him—safe, loved, cherished and infinitely desired.
“I love you,” she murmured, seeing the instant blaze of heat and fierce emotion in his eyes, just before he covered her mouth with his and the whole world fell away.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2980-2
TRIPLE TROUBLE
Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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†Fortunes of Texas: Return to Red Rock
*The McClouds of Montana
*The McClouds of Montana
*The McClouds of Montana
*The McClouds of Montana
**The Hunt for Cinderella
†Fortunes of Texas: Return to Red Rock
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
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Triple Trouble Page 16